Con artist-turned-doctor is practicing NJ gynecologist — despite being outed as chronic catfish in bombshell book

A con artist-turned-doctor is currently working as a gynecologist in New Jersey, despite being exposed as a chronic catfisher in a popular summer beach read.

Dr. Emily Marantz, 39, who resides in Livingston, N.J., and is employed at the Jersey City Medical Center, owned by RWJBarnabas Health, is the real-life person behind the character Ethan Schuman portrayed in sociologist Anna Akbari’s book “There is No Ethan,” as per The Post.

The book, a blend of non-fiction and memoir, recounts the story of three accomplished women, including Akbari, who is a former NYU psychology professor, joining forces to uncover and reveal the online predator who manipulated their emotions over several years using the anonymity of the internet.

“There are at least 10 victims that we are aware of, and this deception lasted for almost a decade,” Akbari told The Post.

Marantz, a medical professional for 11 years, uses her married name in her professional life. However, readers of Akbari’s book are familiar with her maiden name, Emily Slutsky.

In 2010, Marantz, using a profile on the dating site OKCupid, convinced several women that she was an attractive, 6-foot-tall, Columbia and M.I.T.-educated, BMW-driving Jewish economic analyst with a dog named Harvey, residing on the Upper West Side.

Her motive was not financial gain. Instead, Marantz manipulated her victims into developing feelings for Ethan over time through his charming and irresistible messages, some of which were sent from Ireland, where she was studying medicine. The victims described in the book stated that the doctor’s twisted behavior aimed to emotionally devastate and belittle attractive and successful women.

However, Akbari, “British Anna,” and Gina Dallago, an architect with educational backgrounds from Harvard and Princeton, noticed discrepancies in Ethan’s behavior, such as never being available for video calls and frequently canceling dates last minute.

Upon connecting online, the women united to put an end to Ethan’s deceitful actions.

Soon after establishing a strong emotional connection, Marantz made Akbari believe that Ethan was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and required immediate surgery. This was one of the most traumatic instances of emotional abuse Akbari experienced, as she had recently lost her grandmother to lung cancer.

“Emily chose to have Ethan pretend to have cancer while we were communicating, knowing that I had just lost someone close to me,” Akbari shared. “By then, there was already a deep intimacy and connection established, so I couldn’t abandon someone in need.”

The book includes detailed conversations between Akbari and her deceitful Romeo, who always knew the right things to say, stirred up unnecessary drama to cause arguments, and then punished her with periods of silent treatment or by reactivating his dating profile.

“The emotional abuse was a deliberate choice she made,” Akbari explained. “The reasons behind it remain unclear, but she succeeded in making us doubt ourselves.”

Describing her experience in the book, Akbari likened it to “stepping into an emotional blender.”

In interactions with Dallago, Marantz showered her with compliments, showed interest in her background, only to later bring up her Catholic upbringing, indicating his disapproval. He would plan trips but cancel them abruptly without explanation.

Marantz faced no legal consequences for her actions as she did not violate any laws.

“If someone has faced no repercussions for their consistent misconduct, would they cease their behavior?” Akbari questioned. “It’s a thought-provoking query.”

Marantz declined to respond to inquiries and did not answer calls or emails.

“Jersey City Medical Center trusts Dr. Marantz’s ability to deliver top-quality care to her patients,” a hospital representative informed The Post. “The incidents from more than a decade ago have been reviewed and resolved to the satisfaction of the medical center.”

A promotional video featuring Marantz for Jersey City Medical Center was removed from YouTube on Friday.

Akbari mentioned numerous instances in her book where individuals in authoritative positions, including university officials, were made aware of Marantz’s unethical conduct but chose to overlook it.

“While I cannot determine what constitutes a breach of medical ethics or the Hippocratic Oath, it is astounding to me if this does not qualify,” Akbari stated. “This raises questions about being held accountable for our digital actions as we are for our physical actions. In a society where cancel culture prevails, this case is truly remarkable.”

Akbari added, “It raises many other questions about who is allowed to escape consequences for such behavior and why, and whether we are comfortable with that.”